Medication administering device

ABSTRACT

A medication administering device, to which a preparation syringe containing a preparation is mounted, and which administers a preparation to a living body, and comprises a main body; a cylindrical syringe holder that is provided to the main body and into which the preparation syringe is inserted from the rear end side; a cylindrical syringe cover that supports the preparation syringe on the inner peripheral face side, and into which the preparation syringe is inserted from the distal end side; an inner case that guides the syringe cover and is removably fitted together with the syringe cover; and a distal end cap that guides the main body and is removably fitted together with the main body, and moves in conjunction with the syringe cover during attachment to the main body.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/920,699,which is the National Stage of International Application No.PCT/JP2009/001608, filed Apr. 7, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a medication administering device towhich a preparation syringe containing a preparation is mounted, andwhich allows a preparation to be administered to a living body andattachment and removal of a medication administering device and apreparation syringe in more detail.

II. Description of the Related Art

Medication administering devices with which a needle is retracted aftera living body has been manually punctured and a preparation injectedhave seen practical applications in the past as medication administeringdevices for easily administering a preparation to a living body.

For example, Published Japanese Translation No. 2002-502296 of the PCTInternational Publication (published Jan. 22, 2002) discloses aconstitution in which a preparation syringe 3 containing a preparationis inserted into a syringe cover 4 as shown in FIG. 1A, after which thesyringe cover 4 is mounted to a medication administering device 1 thatincludes an administration button (not shown) for pushing out a piston 2as shown in FIG. 1B. The syringe cover 4 has a puncture needle mountingportion 4 a that allows the mounting of a puncture needle, a fasteningtab 4 b that mates with a fastening groove 1 a in the medicationadministering device 1 and allows fixing, and a housing 4 c into whichthe preparation syringe 3 can be inserted.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

However, the following problems were encountered with the conventionalmedication administering device discussed above.

Specifically, with the medication administering device disclosed in theabove publication, after the preparation syringe 3 is inserted into thesyringe cover 4, the syringe cover 4 is mounted to the medicationadministering device 1 so that the fastening tab 4 b is fixed in thefastening groove 1 a, and a puncture needle for injecting thepreparation is attached to the puncture needle mounting portion 4 a. Theamount of preparation to be injected is then set, and the needle isremoved from the body after the skin is punctured and the administrationbutton is pressed to inject the preparation.

Accordingly, with the conventional medication administering deviceabove, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the syringe cover 4 into which thepreparation syringe 3 has been inserted is mounted to the medicationadministering device 1, there is the risk that the preparation syringe 3will ooze from or fall out of the syringe cover 4. Also, during theabove-mentioned mounting, it is necessary to align the position of thepiston 2 with the rear end (sealing rubber 3 b) of the preparationsyringe 3, which is a problem in that the product is harder for thepatient to use.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentionedproblems and provide a medication administering device with which thepreparation syringe can be attached and detached simply and reliably,and both reliability and ease of use can be improved.

The medication administering device pertaining to the present inventionis a medication administering device to which a preparation syringecontaining a preparation is mounted, and which administers a preparationto a living body, said device comprising a substantially cylindricalsyringe cover, a piston, and a piston case. The substantiallycylindrical syringe cover supports the preparation syringe on the innerperipheral face side. The piston presses on the rear end of thepreparation syringe. The piston case surrounds the piston, guides theouter peripheral face of the syringe cover in the direction of thepiston on the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral face side, andis mounted in a state in which the syringe cover is removable.

Here, with a medication administering device in which a substantiallycylindrical syringe cover is mounted so that the rear end portion of apreparation syringe will be disposed in close proximity to the piston ina state in which the preparation syringe has been inserted into thesyringe cover, the piston case surrounds the piston, and the syringecover is guided in the direction of the piston along the cylindricalinner peripheral face.

Consequently, after the preparation syringe has been mounted to thesyringe cover, the syringe cover can be inserted along the innerperipheral face of the piston case until it is in close proximity to thepiston. This stabilizes the mounting of the syringe cover to the pistoncase, and prevents the occurrence of problems such as the preparationsyringe falling out of the syringe cover, so the syringe cover can beplaced more securely inside the device.

The medication administering device pertaining to the present inventionis one with which a preparation syringe containing a preparation ismounted thereto, and which administers a preparation to a living body,and comprises a syringe cover, a piston, and a syringe holder. Thesyringe cover is a substantially cylindrical member that supports apreparation syringe on the inner peripheral face side. The pistonpresses on the rear end of the preparation syringe. The syringe holdersurrounds the piston at a specific position, guides the outer peripheralface of the preparation syringe in the direction of the piston on thecylindrical inner peripheral face side, and has an outer peripheral facethat is removably fitted together with the inner peripheral face of thesyringe cover.

As a result of this constitution, the user can easily mount thepreparation syringe to this medication administering device, and thereis no need for alignment of the piston and the preparation syringe.Therefore, the user has to do less work.

The medication administering device pertaining to the present inventionis a medication administering device is a medication administeringdevice to which a preparation syringe containing a preparation ismounted, and which administers a preparation to a living body, saiddevice comprising a main body, an inner case that forms the main body, asyringe holder, a spring, and a syringe cover. The syringe holder isinstalled inside the inner case and supports the preparation syringe.The spring biases the syringe holder in one direction. The syringe coverallows a needle for administering the preparation to be attached to itsdistal end portion, and surrounds the preparation syringe, has unevenfaces of different angles of inclination on its end face, and mounts thepreparation syringe to the main body in conjunction with syringe holderand/or the inner case.

With this constitution, a medication administering device can beprovided with which the syringe cover is easy to mount and moredifficult to remove, that is, easy to mount and resistant to comingloose, so ease of use and reliability are excellent.

The medication administering device pertaining to the present inventionis a medication administering device is a medication administeringdevice to which a preparation syringe containing a preparation ismounted, and which administers a preparation to a living body, saiddevice comprising a main body, a cylindrical syringe holder, acylindrical syringe cover, and inner case, and a distal end cap. Themain body administers the preparation. The cylindrical syringe holder isprovided to the main body, and the preparation syringe is insertedtherein from the rear end side. The cylindrical syringe cover supportsthe preparation syringe on the inner peripheral face side, and thepreparation syringe is inserted therein from the distal end side. Theinner case guides the syringe cover while being removably fittedtogether with the syringe cover. The distal end cap guides the main bodywhile being removably fitted together with the main body, and moves inconjunction with the syringe cover during attachment to the main body.

With this constitution, the distal end cap moves in conjunction with thesyringe cover when the distal end cap is attached to the main body, soeven if the syringe cover is not properly attached, the syringe covercan still be guided to the proper mounting position. As a result, theuser can easily and reliably mount the syringe cover or the distal endcap to this medication administering device.

The medication administering device pertaining to the present inventionis a medication administering device to which a preparation syringecontaining a preparation is mounted, and which administers a preparationto a living body, said device comprising a main body, a cylindricalsyringe cover, and a distal end cap. The syringe cover has a removablyattached a needle portion that includes a needle that pierces into theliving body in order to administer the preparation and that injects thepreparation. The distal end cap covers all or part of the syringe cover,is removably fitted together with the main body, and has a distal endopening through which the needle slides. Also, the distal end cap issuch that when a cap of the needle portion is removed through the distalend opening, this cap is moved to the distal end side, and the cap canbe removed from the needle portion.

With this constitution, when a finger is stuck into the distal endopening of the distal end cap and the protective cap or the like of theneedle portion is removed, the protective cap is moved toward the distalend side and can be removed. As a result, the user can easily remove theneedle cap or protective cap of the needle portion from this medicationadministering device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a diagram of the constituent parts of a conventionalmedication administering device, and FIG. 1B is a diagram of thepreparation syringe mounting in a conventional medication administeringdevice;

FIG. 2 is an overall oblique view of the medication administering devicein Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an internal cross section of the constituent parts of themedication administering device in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an internal cross section of a state in which the preparationsyringe has been mounted in the syringe cover in the medicationadministering device in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an internal cross section of a state in which the syringecover has been mounted to the main body in the medication administeringdevice in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an internal cross section of a state in which the a punctureneedle has been mounted in the medication administering device in FIG.2;

FIG. 7 is an internal cross section of a state in which the distal endcap has been mounted in the medication administering device in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an internal cross section of the administration state of themedication administering device in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is an internal cross section of the state after administrationwith the medication administering device in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is an internal cross section of the syringe cover and thepreparation syringe of a medication administering device pertaining toEmbodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an internal cross section of a state in which the preparationsyringe has been mounted in the syringe cover in the medicationadministering device in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an internal cross section of a state in which the preparationsyringe has been removed from the syringe cover in the medicationadministering device in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a detail view of portion A in FIG. 10, illustrating theconfiguration as seen from an end face of the syringe cover included inthe medication administering device;

FIG. 14 is an internal cross section of the constituent parts of themedication administering device pertaining to Embodiment 3 of thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 is an internal cross section of a state in which the preparationsyringe has been mounted in the syringe holder in the medicationadministering device in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an internal cross section of a state in which the syringecover has been mounted to the main body in the medication administeringdevice in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is an internal cross section of a state in which the punctureneedle has been mounted in the medication administering device in FIG.14;

FIG. 18 is an internal cross section of a state in which the distal endcap has been mounted in the medication administering device in FIG. 14;

FIG. 19 is an internal cross section of the administration state of themedication administering device in FIG. 14;

FIG. 20 is an internal cross section of the state after administrationwith the medication administering device in FIG. 14;

FIG. 21 is an internal cross section of the syringe holder and thepreparation syringe of the medication administering device pertaining toEmbodiment 4 of the present invention;

FIG. 22A is an exploded oblique view of a medication administeringdevice given as a reference example, FIG. 22B is a diagram of theconstituent parts of the needle portion used in the medicationadministering device, and FIG. 22C is an exploded oblique view of thefront portion of a medication administering device given as a referenceexample;

FIG. 23 is an exploded oblique view of the medication administeringdevice in Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is an exploded oblique view of the area around the inner case ofthe medication administering device shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 25A is a diagram in which the syringe cover has been mounted to theinner case with the medication administering device shown in FIG. 23,FIG. 25B is a diagram in which the syringe cover has been inserted withthe medication administering device shown in FIG. 23, and FIG. 25C is adiagram in which the syringe cover has been mounted with the medicationadministering device shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 26A is a diagram of the relation between the end of the syringeholder and the syringe cover in Embodiment 5, and FIG. 26B is a diagramof the relation between the end of the syringe holder and the syringecover in Embodiment 6;

FIG. 27A is an exploded oblique view of a medication administeringdevice given as a reference example, and FIG. 27B is a diagram of theconstituent parts of the needle portion used in the medicationadministering device;

FIG. 28 is an exploded oblique view of the medication administeringdevice in Embodiment 7 of the present invention;

FIG. 29A is an oblique view of the syringe cover as seen from the sidewhere the needle is mounted in Embodiment 7, and FIG. 29B is a frontview of the syringe cover as seen from the side where the needle ismounted in Embodiment 7;

FIG. 30 is an oblique view in which the distal end cap is mounted to themain body;

FIG. 31A is an oblique view of the distal end cap as seen from the sidewhere it is mounted to the main body, and FIG. 31B is a front view ofthe distal end cap as seen from the side where it is mounted to the mainbody;

FIG. 32A is a front view of a state in which the mounting of the syringecover has not been completed, as seen from the side where the needle ismounted, and FIG. 32B is a front view of a state in which the mountingof the syringe cover has been completed, as seen from the side where theneedle is mounted;

FIG. 33A is an exploded oblique view of a conventional medicationadministering device, and FIG. 33B is a diagram of the constituent partsof the needle portion used in the medication administering device;

FIG. 34 is an exploded oblique view of the medication administeringdevice in Embodiment 8 of the present invention;

FIG. 35A is a front view of the distal end cap as seen from the sideplaced against the skin, and FIG. 35B is an oblique view of the distalend cap as seen from the side placed against the skin;

FIG. 36 is a cross section of the above-mentioned distal end cap;

FIG. 37 is an oblique view of the distal end cap as seen from the sidewhere it is mounted to the main body of the medication administeringdevice;

FIG. 38 is an oblique view of the distal end cap in Embodiment 9 of thepresent invention;

FIG. 39 is an oblique view of the distal end cap in Embodiment 10 of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 40 is an oblique view of the distal end cap in Embodiment 11 of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

A medication administering device 11 pertaining to an embodiment of thepresent invention will now be described through reference to FIGS. 2 to9.

As shown in FIG. 2, the medication administering device 11 in thisembodiment is covered by a housing 12, which is the outer covering ofthe device main body. Power to the medication administering device 11can be switched on and off with a power button 16, and air inside thepreparation syringe can be vented with an air vent button 17. Themedication administering device 11 also has a completion button 18 thatallows the flow to move on to the next step upon completion of arequired operation, such as after air venting or the confirmation ofvarious displays, a medication administering button 19 that is pressedat the time of medication administration after completion of preparationfor administering the medication, and an LCD 20 that displays variouskinds of necessary information, such as the remaining battery charge orthe air venting operation. The medication administering device 11 alsohas a distal end cap 13 that can be attached to and detached from oneend of the housing 12. The distal end cap 13 is attached or removed asneeded in the attachment and removal of the puncture needle that injectsthe medication solution or the preparation syringe, and has a checkwindow 13 a used to check the interior. Therefore, the type ofpreparation syringe, whether or not there is a preparation syringe, theamount of preparation, and so forth can be checked through a syringecover 14 formed from a transparent material.

As shown in FIG. 3, the medication administering device 11 furthercomprises the syringe cover 14 inserted inside the housing 12, apreparation syringe 15, and a piston case 26.

(Syringe Cover 14)

As shown in FIG. 3, the syringe cover 14 comprises a fastening tab 14 a,a syringe contact-use inclined part 14 b, a puncture needle mountingportion 14 c, a housing 14 d, a detection tab 14 e, and a syringemounting prong 14 f.

The fastening tab 14 a mates with a fastening groove 26 a formed on theinner peripheral face side of the piston case 26 provided inside thehousing 12.

The syringe contact-use inclined part 14 b is formed so as to come intoprecise contact with a syringe cover contact-use inclined part 15 cprovided to one end of the preparation syringe 15 that contains thepreparation.

The puncture needle mounting portion 14 c allows the mounting of apuncture needle for injecting a medication solution into the skin.

The housing 14 d is substantially cylindrical member inside of which thepreparation syringe 15 can be stowed.

The detection tab 14 e is provided to press on one end of a syringecover detecting lever 24 a constituted on the inside of the housing 12of the medication administering device 11.

The syringe mounting prong 14 f supports a syringe end face 15 e of thepreparation syringe 15 (discussed below), and prevents the preparationsyringe 15 from falling out of the syringe cover 14.

(Preparation Syringe 15)

The preparation syringe 15 has rubber seals 15 a and 15 b, the syringecover contact-use inclined part 15 c, an ID (identification piece) 15 d,and the syringe end face 15 e.

The rubber seals 15 a and 15 b are provided to seal the ends of thepreparation syringe 15 and hold in the preparation.

The syringe cover contact-use inclined part 15 c comes into precisecontact with the syringe contact-use inclined part 14 b formed at oneend of the syringe cover 14.

The ID (identification piece) 15 d is used to identify the preparationsyringe 15, and the user can identify the type of preparation in thepreparation syringe 15 and other such information by reading the ID 15d. A tag, bar code, or the like may be used instead of this ID.

The syringe end face 15 e is supported by the syringe mounting prong 14f provided to the syringe cover 14 when the preparation syringe 15 isinserted into the syringe cover 14.

(Piston Case 26 and its Internal Configuration)

The piston case 26 is a substantially cylindrical member provided alongthe inner wall face of the housing 12, and is provided with a medicationadministering button 19 on the outer peripheral face side, and on theinner peripheral face side with a piston 22, a syringe detection switch23, a syringe cover detector 24, a piston drive motor 27, and a syringeidentifier 31.

The medication administering button 19 is provided to a side face of themedication administering device 11, and is pressed when the preparationis to be administered.

The piston 22 moves forward while in contact with the rubber seal 15 bprovided to the rear end of the preparation syringe 15, and pushes outthe preparation toward the administration side.

The syringe detection switch 23 is pushed down by the syringe end face15 e of the preparation syringe 15 when the syringe cover 14 to whichthe preparation syringe 15 is mounted is inserted into the piston case26. Consequently, it can be detected from the operation of the switchthat the preparation syringe 15 has been mounted in the syringe cover14.

The syringe cover detector 24 has a syringe cover detecting lever 24 a,a syringe cover detecting lever spring 24 b, and a syringe coverdetection switch 24 c. When the syringe cover 14 is inserted into thepiston case 26, the syringe cover detection switch 24 c moves againstthe spring force of the syringe cover detecting lever spring 24 b andpushes down the syringe cover detection switch 24 c. Consequently, itcan be detected that the syringe cover 14 has been mounted in the pistoncase 26.

The piston drive motor 27 rotates in the desired direction to move thepiston 22 back and forth in the direction of preparation administration.The syringe identifier 31 reads information about the ID 15 d of thepreparation syringe 15 to detect that the syringe cover 14 has beenmounted and determine the types and others of preparation syringe 15.

<Method for Operating the Medication Administering Device 11>

The method for operating the medication administering device 11 in thisembodiment will now be described through reference to FIGS. 4 to 9.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the preparation syringe 15 is inserted on theinner peripheral face side of the syringe cover 14, which issubstantially cylindrical in shape. At this point the syringe mountingprong 14 f supports the syringe end face 15 e at the rear end of thepreparation syringe 15. Consequently, even if the syringe cover 14 istilted, the preparation syringe 15 can be held inside the syringe cover14.

After this, as shown in FIG. 5, the syringe cover 14 supporting thepreparation syringe 15 is mounted inside the piston case 26. Thefastening tab 14 a and the fastening groove 26 a fit together at thispoint, so that the syringe cover 14 is fixed inside the piston case 26.

In the course of inserting the syringe cover 14 here, the syringe endface 15 e of the preparation syringe 15 pushes down the syringedetection switch 23. Consequently, the medication administering device11 detects from the operation of the switch that the preparation syringe15 has been mounted.

The ID 15 d of the preparation syringe 15 is then read by the syringeidentifier 31, and the medication administering device 11 determineswhether or not the inserted preparation syringe 15 contains the desiredpreparation.

The detection tab 14 e pushes down the syringe cover detecting lever 24a, which operates the syringe cover detection switch 24 c. Consequently,the medication administering device 11 can detect that the syringe cover14 has been mounted. The syringe cover detecting lever spring 24 b atthis point is held in a compressed state.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, a puncture needle 28 that is stuck into thebody of a person, etc., and injects a medication solution from thepuncture tip is placed in the puncture needle mounting portion 14 c atthe distal end of the preparation syringe 15.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the distal end cap 13 that is in contact withthe skin of a person, etc., is mounted to the distal end of the housing12 on the medication administration side. An opening 13 b through whichthe puncture needle 28 passes is formed in the center of the distal endcap 13.

After the pre-use preparation has been performed as discussed above bygoing through the steps shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the power button 16 (seeFIG. 2) is pressed to supply power to the medication administeringdevice 11. At this point the medication administering device 11 checksthe status of the syringe detection switch 23 and the syringe coverdetection switch 24 c, and checks whether or not the preparation syringe15 or the syringe cover 14 has been mounted. The syringe identifier 31reads information about the ID 15 d of the preparation syringe 15, andit is confirmed whether or not the correct preparation syringe 15 hasbeen mounted. On the condition that all of these checks have beencompleted, the air vent button 17 is then pressed in the next operation(see FIG. 2).

Next, when the air vent button 17 is pressed, a piston case drive motor(not shown) slides the entire piston case 26 by approximately 10 mm tothe left with respect to the housing 12. The piston drive motor 27 isthen actuated, and the piston 22 moves by a specific amount to the leftto vent air. At this point, the rubber seal 15 b is pushed in in thepuncture direction (to the left in the drawings), and the air inside thepreparation syringe 15 is discharged from the puncture needle 28. Afterthis, the piston case drive motor is reversed, and the entire pistoncase 26 slides 10 mm in the opposite direction from the puncturedirection (to the right in the drawings) with respect to the housing 12,thus returning to its original position.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the flow moves to a step of administering thepreparation, but the basic operation is the same as that of the airventing discussed above.

That is, when the distal end cap 13 is brought into contact with theskin 30 and the medication administering button 19 is pressed, thepiston case drive motor (not shown) slides the entire piston case 26 byapproximately 10 mm in the puncture direction (to the left in thedrawings) with respect to the housing 12. The distal end of the punctureneedle 28 is exposed from the distal end cap 13 and reaches thesubcutaneous layer 30 a from the skin 30.

Next, the piston drive motor 27 is actuated, the piston 22 moves aspecific amount for preparation injection in the puncture direction (tothe left in the drawings), and the rubber seal 15 b is pushed in in thepuncture direction (to the left in the drawings). As a result, thepreparation 29 inside the preparation syringe 15 is injected from thepuncture needle 28 to the subcutaneous layer 30 a. After this, thepiston case drive motor is reversed, and the entire piston case 26slides approximately 10 mm in the opposite direction from the puncturedirection (to the right in the drawings) with respect to the housing 12,thus returning to its original position. Therefore, the puncture needle28 is pulled out of the skin 30 or subcutaneous layer 30 a, and put backinside the distal end cap 13.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, after the preparation has been administered,the piston case 26 is retracted with respect to the housing 12, and thepuncture needle 28 is removed from the skin 30.

In this embodiment, as discussed above, the medication administeringdevice 11 in which the preparation syringe 15 containing the preparationis mounted inside the syringe cover 14, and a preparation can beadministered to a living body or the like, comprises the syringe cover14 that supports the preparation syringe 15, and the piston case 26 towhich the syringe cover 14 is removably mounted.

Consequently, when the preparation syringe 15 is mounted to the pistoncase 26, the syringe cover 14 can be mounted easily, safely, andreliably, without worrying about the orientation during attachment orabout whether the preparation syringe 15 will fall out.

Also, in this embodiment, the syringe detection switch 23 is providedinside the piston case 26. Consequently, whether or not the preparationsyringe 15 has been properly mounted can be easily detected.

Also, the syringe identifier 31 is provided inside the piston case 26.Consequently, the ID 15 d of the preparation syringe 15 can be read, andwhether or to the correct preparation syringe 15 has been mounted can bedetected.

Furthermore, the syringe cover detector 24 is provided inside the pistoncase 26. Consequently, whether or not the syringe cover 14 has beenmounted can be easily detected.

Thus, because of these detection functions, a safe medicationadministering device 11 can be provided which will not be accidentallyoperated at an unintended place.

Embodiment 2

The configuration of a syringe cover 114 used in a medicationadministering device pertaining to another embodiment of the presentinvention will be described below through reference to FIGS. 10 to 13.Those components that are shared with the above-mentioned Embodiment 1will be numbered the same and not described again.

With the syringe cover 114 in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10,etc., what is different from the syringe cover 14 in Embodiment 1 is theuse of a syringe mounting arm 14 h as the member that supports the rearend of the preparation syringe 15.

More precisely, as shown in FIG. 11, the syringe cover 114 in thisembodiment has a rotatable syringe mounting arm 14 h for supporting thesyringe end face 15 e of the preparation syringe 15 and preventing itfrom falling out.

Consequently, after the syringe cover 114 to which the preparationsyringe 15 has been mounted is placed inside the above-mentioned pistoncase 26, the used preparation syringe 15 can be simply taken out afterthe preparation has been administered from the distal end of thepuncture needle 28.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the preparation syringe 15 inserted in thesyringe cover 114 is taken out, the distal end of the syringe mountingarm 14 h, which was supporting the syringe end face 15 e of thepreparation syringe 15, is retracted. Consequently, the preparationsyringe 15 can be easily taken out of the syringe cover 14 merely byrotating the syringe mounting arm 14 h.

As shown in FIG. 13, the syringe mounting arm 14 h is supported in astate of being rotatable around a support shaft 14 i, and is biased inthe clockwise direction (the right rotation direction) by a mounting armspring 14 g. A stopper 14 j is formed integrally with the syringemounting arm 14 h, and comes into contact with the inner peripheral faceof the syringe cover 114.

Consequently, when the syringe mounting arm 14 h is rotatedcounter-clockwise, the distal end of the syringe mounting arm 14 h canbe retracted from the front of the syringe end face 15 e. Thus, thepreparation syringe 15 can be simply taken out of the syringe cover 114.

Embodiment 3

A medication administering device 111 pertaining to another embodimentof the present invention will be described below through reference toFIGS. 2 and 14 to 20. Those components that are shared with theabove-mentioned Embodiments 1 and 2 will be numbered the same and notdescribed again.

The medication administering device 111 in this embodiment mainlydiffers from the medication administering device 11 in Embodiment 1,which had not syringe holder, in that a syringe holder 21 is disposedinside the housing 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the medication administering device 111 in thisembodiment is covered by the housing 12, which is the outer covering ofthe device main body. Power to the medication administering device 111can be switched on and off with the power button 16, and air inside thepreparation syringe 15 (see FIG. 14) can be vented with the air ventbutton 17. The medication administering device 111 also has a completionbutton 18 that allows the flow to move on to the next step uponcompletion of a required operation, such as after air venting or theconfirmation of various displays, a medication administering button 19that is pressed at the time of medication administration aftercompletion of preparation for administering the medication, and an LCD20 that displays various kinds of necessary information, such as theremaining battery charge or the air venting operation. The medicationadministering device 111 also has a distal end cap 13 that can beattached to and detached from one end of the housing 12 as needed duringattachment and removal of the puncture needle that injects a medicationsolution or the preparation syringe 15. The distal end cap 13 isprovided with a check window 13 a, and the type of preparation syringe,whether or not there is a preparation syringe, the amount ofpreparation, and so forth can be checked through the transparent syringecover 14.

As shown in FIG. 14, the medication administering device 111 furthercomprises the syringe cover 14 inserted inside the housing 12, thepiston case 26, the syringe holder 21, a syringe holder spring (biasingmember) 25, and the syringe cover detector 24. The preparation syringe15 containing a preparation is mounted in the drug administration device111.

The syringe cover 14 is removably mounted to the piston case 26 and thesyringe holder 21, and as shown in FIG. 14, comprises the fastening tab14 a, the syringe contact-use inclined part 14 b, the puncture needlemounting portion 14 c, the housing 14 d, and the detection tab 14 e.

The fastening tab 14 a is formed so as to protrude up from the outerperipheral face of the syringe cover 14, and is disposed on the rear endside of the syringe cover 14. The fastening tab 14 a mates with thefastening groove 26 a provided to the piston case 26 provided, in astate in which the syringe cover 14 has been mounted to the device mainbody.

The syringe contact-use inclined part 14 b is formed so as to come intoprecise contact with the syringe cover contact-use inclined part 15 cprovided on the distal end side of the preparation syringe 15 when thesyringe cover 14 has surrounded the preparation syringe 15.

The puncture needle mounting portion 14 c is a portion to which thepuncture needle 28 used for injecting a medication solution into aliving body (see FIG. 17) is mounted.

The housing 14 d is a substantially cylindrical portion that allows thepreparation syringe 15 to be stowed inside the syringe cover 14.

The detection tab 14 e is provided in order to press one end of thesyringe cover detecting lever 24 a, which is provided inside the pistoncase 26, in the rear end direction when the syringe cover 14 has beenmounted to the device main body.

The preparation syringe 15 is a member that supports the preparation 29in its interior, and has a container 15 f, the rubber seals 15 a and 15b, the syringe cover contact-use inclined part 15 c, the ID(identification piece) 15 d, and the syringe end face 15 e.

The container 15 f is a member that is cylindrical in shape, and may beconstituted, for example, by a material such as glass or plastic that isnot deformed by the pressure of the preparation 29.

The rubber seal 15 a seals the distal end side of the container 15 f.The rubber seal 15 b is a member that is cylindrical in shape, whoseperipheral face comes into contact with the inner peripheral face of thecontainer 15 f, and which seals the rear end side of the preparationsyringe 15. The rubber seal 15 b can also be displaced while slidingalong the inner peripheral face of the container 15 f, that is, whilethe peripheral face of the rubber seal 15 b slides along the innerperipheral face of the container 15 f, under an external force.Consequently, the preparation 29 inside the container 15 f can be heldand preserved while it is possible to exert pressure on the preparation29 when the rubber seal 15 b is pressed by the piston 22 (discussedbelow).

As discussed above, the syringe cover contact-use inclined part 15 ccomes into precise contact with the syringe contact-use inclined part 14b formed at one end of the syringe cover 14, in a state in which thepreparation syringe 15 is supported by the syringe cover.

The ID (identification piece) 15 d is used to identify the preparationsyringe 15, and the syringe identifier 31 (discussed below) can identifythe type of preparation 29 in the preparation syringe 15 and other suchinformation by reading the ID 15 d. A tag, bar code, or the like may beused instead of this ID.

The syringe end face 15 e hits and presses on a syringe receiving face21 a when the preparation syringe 15 is mounted inside the syringeholder 21.

The piston case 26 is a cylindrical member provided on the innerperipheral face side of the housing 12, and the fastening groove 26 a isformed on the inner peripheral face side thereof. This fastening groove26 a, as discussed above, is formed so as to mate with the fastening tab14 a formed on the outer peripheral face of the syringe cover 14.

The syringe cover detector 24 is used to detect the mounting of thesyringe cover 14, and is disposed on the inner peripheral face side ofthe piston case 26. The syringe cover detector 24 has the syringe coverdetecting lever 24 a, the syringe cover detecting lever spring 24 b, andthe syringe cover detection switch 24 c.

The syringe cover detecting lever 24 a is provided at a position whereone end comes into contact with the detection tab 14 e provided to thesyringe cover 14 when the syringe cover 14 has been mounted to thedevice main body. Also, the syringe cover detecting lever 24 a includesa protrusion 24 d formed so as to protrude integrally from a flat memberthat comes into contact with the detection tab 14 e. One end of thesyringe cover detecting lever spring 24 b is linked to a face of theprotrusion 24 d on the rear end side of the device, while the other endis fixed to a fixed wall inside the piston case 26. That is, the syringecover detecting lever spring 24 b biases the syringe cover detectinglever 24 a toward the distal end from the rear end of the device, whichlimits the unmounted position of the syringe cover detecting lever 24 a.The “unmounted position” here refers to the position in a state in whichthe syringe cover 14 has yet to be mounted. The syringe cover detectionswitch 24 c is used to detect this mounting when the syringe cover 14has been properly mounted to the device. More specifically, the syringecover detection switch 24 c is pressed and switched to the rear end sideof the device by the other end of the syringe cover detecting lever 24 aon the opposite side from the one end mentioned above, when the syringecover 14 has been mounted.

The syringe holder spring 25 serves to bias the syringe holder 21 fromthe rear end side of the device toward the distal end side. One endthereof is linked to the rear end of the syringe holder 21, and theother end is fixed to a fixed wall inside the piston case 26.

The syringe holder 21 is a substantially cylindrical member used tosupport the preparation syringe 15, and is enclosed on the innerperipheral face side of the piston case 26. The syringe holder 21 has inits interior a piston 43, the syringe detection switch (syringedetector) 23, the syringe identifier 31, and a guide hole 42.

The piston 43 includes the piston 22 and the piston drive motor 27. Thepiston 22 is a disk-shaped member, moves forward while in contact withthe rubber seal 15 b provided to the rear end of the preparation syringe15, and pushes out the preparation 29 toward the administration side.The piston drive motor 27 rotates in the desired direction, which causesthe piston 22 to move back and forth in the direction of administrationof the preparation 29.

The syringe detection switch 23 includes a protrusion that protrudesinto the guide hole 42 and is pressed down by the syringe end face 15 eof the preparation syringe 15 when the preparation syringe 15 is mountedto the syringe holder 21. Consequently, it can be detected from theoperation of the switch that the preparation syringe 15 has been mountedin the syringe holder 21.

The syringe identifier 31 reads the ID 15 d provided to the preparationsyringe 15, detects that the preparation syringe 15 has been inserted,and determines the type of preparation syringe 15, etc. Also, part ofthe syringe identifier 31 is exposed at the guide hole 42, and contactbetween this exposed portion and the ID 15 d provided to the preparationsyringe 15 makes possible the identification of the ID 15 d.

The guide hole 42 guides the preparation syringe 15 in the direction ofthe piston 43 while in contact with the outer peripheral face of thepreparation syringe 15 when the preparation syringe 15 is mounted. Thisguide hole 42 is constituted by the inner peripheral face of the syringeholder 21 and the syringe receiving face 21 a, which is substantiallyparallel to the face of the piston 22 that presses on the rubber seal 15b. Also, the guide hole 42 is formed so that when the preparationsyringe 15 has been inserted into this guide hole 42, as shown in FIG.15, the syringe end face 15 e and the syringe receiving face 21 a willcome into contact, and the rubber seal 15 b of the preparation syringe15 and the piston 22 will be opposite each other with a tiny gap inbetween. This prevents the piston 22 from unintentionally pressing onthe rubber seal 15 b at the instant when the preparation syringe 15 ismounted.

Also, the outer peripheral face of the syringe holder 21 is formed so asto come into contact with the inner peripheral face of the syringe cover14, and serves to guide the syringe cover 14 when the syringe cover 14is mounted to the device. This guidance allows the syringe cover 14 tobe mounted so that the detection tab 14 e engages with the syringe coverdetecting lever 24 a, and the fastening tab 14 a fits into the fasteninggroove 26 a.

<Method for Operating the Medication Administering Device 111>

The method for operating the medication administering device 111 in thisembodiment will now be described through reference to FIGS. 15 to 20.

First, as shown in FIG. 15, the preparation syringe 15 is inserted intothe guide hole 42 of the syringe holder 21 (see FIG. 14). In the courseof inserting the preparation syringe 15 here, the syringe end face 15 epushes down the syringe detection switch 23. Consequently, themedication administering device 111 detects from the operation of theswitch that the preparation syringe 15 has been mounted.

The ID 15 d provided to the preparation syringe 15 is then read by thesyringe identifier 31, and the medication administering device 111determines whether or not the inserted preparation syringe 15 containsthe desired preparation.

No problem will be encountered here even if the insertion of thepreparation syringe 15 should be inadequate and the syringe detectionswitch 23 cannot be switched or the syringe identifier 31 cannot read.The following description will include this scenario.

Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the syringe cover 14 is mounted inside thepiston case 26. At this point the fastening tab 14 a and the fasteninggroove 26 a fit together, and the syringe cover 14 is fixed inside thepiston case 26.

Here, the syringe contact-use inclined part 14 b provided to the syringecover 14 pushes the syringe cover contact-use inclined part 15 cprovided to the preparation syringe 15 in the direction of the rear endwhen the fastening tab 14 a and the fastening groove 26 a are fittedtogether and the syringe cover 14 is fixed. Therefore, the syringe endface 15 e pushes the syringe receiving face 21 a, and the syringe holder21 is slid in the rear end direction (the direction of the right-facingarrow in FIG. 16). Also, at this point the syringe holder spring 25 isheld in a compressed state. Therefore, even if the preparation syringe15 should not be inserted sufficiently in the previous operation, themounting of the syringe cover 14 will effectively bring about theabove-mentioned switching of the syringe detection switch 23 and readingby the syringe identifier 31.

Also, when the syringe cover 14 is mounted, the detection tab 14 epushes the syringe cover detecting lever 24 a in and switches thesyringe cover detection switch 24 c. This allows the drug administrationdevice 111 to detect that the syringe cover 14 has been mounted. Thesyringe cover detecting lever spring 24 b at this point is held in acompressed state.

Then, as shown in FIG. 17, a puncture needle 28 that is stuck into thebody of a person, etc., and injects a medication solution from thepuncture tip is placed in the puncture needle mounting portion 14 c atthe distal end of the preparation syringe 15.

Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the distal end cap 13 that is in contact withthe skin of a person, etc., is mounted to the distal end of the housing12 on the medication administration side. An opening 13 b through whichthe puncture needle 28 passes is formed in the center of the distal endcap 13.

After the pre-use preparation has been performed as discussed above bygoing through the steps described through reference to FIGS. 15 to 18,the power button 16 (see FIG. 2) is pressed to supply power to themedication administering device 111. At this point the medicationadministering device 11 checks the status of the syringe detectionswitch 23 and the syringe cover detection switch 24 c, and checkswhether or not the preparation syringe 15 or the syringe cover 14 hasbeen mounted. The syringe identifier 31 reads information about the ID15 d of the preparation syringe 15, and it is confirmed whether or notthe correct preparation syringe 15 has been mounted in the medicationadministering device 111. On the condition that all of these checks havebeen completed, the drug administration device 111 is ready for the airvent button 17 to be pressed in the next operation (see FIG. 2).

Next, when the air vent button 17 is pressed, a piston case drive motor(not shown) slides the entire piston case 26 by approximately 10 mm tothe left (the distal end direction) with respect to the housing 12. Thepiston drive motor 27 is then actuated, and the piston 22 moves by aspecific amount to the left (the distal end direction) to vent air. Atthis point, the rubber seal 15 b is pushed in the puncture direction (tothe left in the drawings), and the air inside the preparation syringe 15is discharged from the puncture needle 28. After this, the piston casedrive motor is reversed, and the entire piston case 26 slides 10 mm tothe right, which is the opposite direction from the puncture direction(the rear end direction), with respect to the housing 12, thus returningto its original position.

Next, as shown in FIG. 19, the flow moves to a step of administering thepreparation, but the basic operation is the same as that of the airventing discussed above.

That is, when the distal end cap 13 is brought into contact with theskin 30 and the medication administering button 19 is pressed, thepiston case drive motor (not shown) slides the entire piston case 26 byapproximately 10 mm in the puncture direction (to the left in thedrawings) with respect to the housing 12. The distal end of the punctureneedle 28 is exposed from the distal end cap 13 and reaches thesubcutaneous layer 30 a from the skin 30.

Next, the piston drive motor 27 is actuated, the piston 22 moves aspecific amount for preparation injection in the puncture direction (tothe left in the drawings), and the rubber seal 15 b is pushed in in thepuncture direction (to the left in the drawings). As a result, thepreparation 29 inside the preparation syringe 15 is injected from thepuncture needle 28 to the subcutaneous layer 30 a.

After this, as shown in FIG. 20, the piston case drive motor isreversed, and the entire piston case 26 slides approximately 10 mm inthe opposite direction from the puncture direction (to the right in thedrawings) with respect to the housing 12, thus returning to its originalposition. Therefore, the puncture needle 28 is pulled out of the skin 30or subcutaneous layer 30 a, and put back inside the distal end cap 13.

As discussed above, with this embodiment, the medication administeringdevice 111, to which the preparation syringe 15 containing thepreparation 29 is mounted, and which is able to administer thepreparation 29 to a living body or the like, comprises the syringeholder spring 25 that biases the syringe holder 21 from one direction,the syringe cover 14 that covers the preparation syringe 15 and to thedistal end of which the puncture needle 28 can be removably attached,and the syringe holder 21 to which the preparation syringe 15 and thesyringe cover 14 are removably mounted.

Consequently, attachment and removal of the preparation syringe 15 canbe accomplished easily and reliably.

Also, with this embodiment, the syringe detection switch 23 is providedinside the syringe holder 21, which allows the mounting of thepreparation syringe 15 to be detected reliably.

Also, with this embodiment, the syringe identifier 31 is provided insidethe syringe holder 21, which means that the ID of the preparationsyringe 15 can be read, and whether or not the correct preparationsyringe 15 has been mounted can be detected.

Further, with this embodiment, the syringe cover detector 24 is providedinside the piston case 26, which allows the mounting of the syringecover 14 to be detected reliably.

Thus, because of these detection functions, a safe medicationadministering device can be provided which will not be accidentallyoperated at any unintended places.

Embodiment 4

The configuration of a syringe holder 212 used in a medicationadministering device pertaining to another embodiment of the presentinvention will be described below through reference to FIG. 21. Thosecomponents that are shared with the above-mentioned Embodiments 1 to 3will be numbered the same and not described again.

With the syringe holder 212 in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, thedifference from Embodiment 3 above is that an outer peripheral limitingprotrusion 21 d that supports the outer peripheral face of thepreparation syringe 15, and an inner peripheral limiting protrusion 21 cthat limits the position of the inner peripheral face of the preparationsyringe 15 are provided.

Consequently, positioning is easier and more accurate when thepreparation syringe 15 is inserted into the guide hole, and thepreparation syringe 15 can be supported more securely. Also, when thepreparation syringe 15 is inserted into the syringe holder 21, a gap isformed at the portion where the outer peripheral limiting protrusion 21d is not formed, so that the inner peripheral face of the syringe holder21 and the outer peripheral face of the preparation syringe 15 do notcome into contact. Therefore, in inserting the preparation syringe 15into the syringe holder 21, the inside of the syringe holder 21 is notin a sealed state, so inserting and removing the preparation syringe 15can be made easier.

Furthermore, the syringe holder 212 has a guiding inclined portion(tapered portion) 21 b that has a tapered shape so that the preparationsyringe is easier to guide in the piston direction during insertion ofthe preparation syringe 15. Consequently, the positional accuracy wheninserting the preparation syringe 15 is even better than in Embodiment 3above.

Also, the medication administering device in this embodiment is themedication administering device pertaining to the embodiments givenabove, wherein all or part of the syringe cover is transparent orsemitransparent.

Consequently, the interior of the syringe cover can be checked, so in astate in which the preparation syringe is mounted to the syringe holder,and the preparation syringe is covered by the syringe cover, the type ofpreparation syringe, whether or not there is a preparation syringe, theamount of remaining preparation, and so forth can be checked visually.

The medication administering device in this embodiment is the medicationadministering device pertaining to the embodiments given above, furthercomprising a syringe cover detector that detects that the syringe coverhas been mounted.

Consequently, whether or not the syringe cover has been mounted to thedevice main body can be detected, and therefore, operation of themedication administering device can be prevented in a state in which thesyringe cover is not yet mounted, for example.

As a result, the user is prevented from accidentally operating thedevice without the syringe cover (and the preparation syringe) havingbeen mounted, so the safety of the device can be improved.

The medication administering device in this embodiment is the medicationadministering device pertaining to the embodiments given above, whereinsyringe cover detector includes a syringe cover detecting lever, asyringe cover detecting lever spring, and a syringe cover detectingswitch. The syringe cover detecting lever spring biases the syringecover detecting lever from one direction. The syringe cover detectingswitch is switched on and off by the syringe cover detecting lever.

Consequently, whether or not the syringe cover has been mounted can bedetected with a simple configuration. Therefore, the user can beprevented from accidentally operating the device without the syringecover having been mounted.

Reference Example 1

A medication administering device with which the needle was pulled outafter the needle is tapped to a living body by electrically-driven meansand injection of the preparation has been put to practical use in thepast as a medication administering device for easily administering apreparation to a living body.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 22A to 22C, when a medicationadministering device 1301 such as this is used, the user first mounts asyringe 1303 a to a front case component 1303 b, and then mounts thisfront component 1303 to a main body 1302 that includes a medicationadministering button 1302 a for pushing out a piston 1302 b. Apreparation syringe 1303 f has rubber seals (not shown) on the distalend side and the rear end side. The rubber seals are pressed anddeformed in the distal end direction by the piston 1302 b, and alongwith this deformation the preparation is injected into the living body.Also, the front case component 1303 b is constituted by a front case1303 e that covers the outside, and a slide case 1304 or the like thatslides on the inside thereof.

The syringe 1303 a has a needle mounting portion 1303 c to which aneedle 1305 can be removably attached, and a dowel 1303 d that fits intoa guide groove 1304 a of the slide case 1304 (see Japanese Laid-OpenPatent Application 2005-287676, for example).

However, with the conventional medication administering device 1301, asshown in FIG. 22C, the user first inserts the dowel 1303 d provided tothe syringe 1303 a straight into the guide groove 1304 a of the slidecase 1304 that is part of the front case component 1303 b, and thenrotates this so that a dowel pressing portion 1304 c passes through ahole A (indicated by 1304 b) provided to the slide case 1304, and isfixed in a hole B (1304 d). Next, the needle 1305 for injecting thepreparation is attached to the needle mounting portion 1303 c. Afterthis, the front component 1303 is mounted to the main body 1302, a frontcap 1306 is mounted to the front case component 1303 b, the distal endof the front cap 1306 is brought into contact with the subject's body,and in this state the medication administering button 1302 a is pressedto inject the preparation.

With the conventional usage method discussed above, it is dangerous ifthe syringe 1303 a moves away from the slide case 1304 in the removal ofthe needle 1305 a from the needle mounting portion 1303 c, so it has tobe fixed securely. The attachment and removal of the syringe 1303 arequired a great deal of strength, so the device was difficult to use.Also, since the dowel 1303 d was forcibly deformed and fixed by thedowel pressing portion 1304 c, there was the risk of damage during use.

The medication administering device pertaining to the followingembodiment solves the above-mentioned problem, and it is an objectthereof to provide a medication administering device for injecting apreparation into a living body, wherein the syringe is easy to attachand remove, is securely fixed, and is durable.

Embodiment 5

A medication administering device 320 pertaining to yet anotherembodiment of the present invention will now be described throughreference to FIGS. 23 to 26A.

As shown in FIG. 23, the medication administering device 320 in thisembodiment is mainly constituted by a main body 321, a preparationsyringe 322, a syringe cover 323, a needle 305, and a distal end cap324.

The main body 321 is constituted by a positioning mark 321 a that servesas a benchmark in inserting a fastening dowel 323 b of the syringe cover323, a medication administering button 321 c used in administering thepreparation, a display component 321 b that displays the remainingbattery charge and various information required for operation, a syringeholder 326 that temporarily supports the preparation syringe 322, aninner case 325 that is able to slide with respect to the main body 321,and a syringe cover fastening groove 325 a that is a guide groove forguiding the fastening dowel 323 b provided to the syringe cover 323.

The inner case pertaining to this embodiment, and its surroundings, willnow be described through reference to FIGS. 24 to 26A.

The syringe cover 323 is a transparent or semitransparent member thatcan be mounted to the inner case 325 from the distal end side of thepreparation syringe 322 temporarily supported by the syringe holder 326,and has formed at one end a needle mounting portion 323 a for mountingthe needle 305. At the other end is a mounting direction inclined face323 d used in the mounting of the syringe holder, and a removaldirection inclined face 323 e used in the removal of the syringe holder,and the inclination angles of these two are different, as indicated bythe mounting direction inclination angle 323 f and the removal directioninclination angle 323 g. The fastening dowel 323 b is guided by thesyringe cover fastening groove 325 a provided to the inner case 325. Ananti-slip rib 323 c is provided to the outer peripheral part thatsupports during attachment and removal.

The distal end cap 324 is mounted after the preparation syringe 322, thesyringe cover 323, and the needle 305 have been mounted to the main body321 in that order.

The inner case 325 is able to slide with respect to the main body 321,and constitutes the syringe holder 326 that supports the preparationsyringe 322 in its interior, and a syringe holder biasing spring 327that biases this from one direction.

The syringe holder 326 is in a cylindrical shape capable of supportingthe preparation syringe 322 in its interior, and as shown in FIG. 25A, asyringe holder prong 326 a provided to part of the syringe holder 326fits into a prong guide hole 325 b provided to the inner case 325. Atthis point the syringe holder 326 slides under the force of the syringeholder biasing spring 327, and then maintains the fitted state. Thesyringe holder 326 also has a peaked convex portion 326 b that has asubstantially triangular shape and comes into contact with the mountingdirection inclined face 323 d and the removal direction inclined face323 e.

The syringe holder biasing spring 327 is slightly compressed when placedbetween the inner case 325 and the syringe holder 326, and biases thesyringe holder 326 so as to slide.

<Method for Operating the Medication Administering Device 320>

The operation of the medication administering device 320 in anembodiment of the present invention will now be described throughreference to FIGS. 23 to 26A.

First, the preparation syringe 322 is inserted into the syringe holder326 provided to the main body 321, and the syringe cover 323 is mounted.At this point the fastening dowel 323 b is aligned with the syringecover fastening groove 325 a provided to the inner case 325, insertedstraight in, and then rotated.

When the syringe holder 326 is rotated in the mounting direction by thesyringe cover 323, the mounting direction inclined face 323 d pushes thepeaked convex portion 326 b and compresses the syringe holder biasingspring 327. The effect of this is that a load is exerted on the rotationof the syringe holder 326, and as shown in FIG. 26A, the mountingdirection inclination angle 323 f is set to a gentle angle, so thesyringe holder 326 can be slid and mounted by rotating with just a lighteffort.

At the position where the syringe cover 323 is mounted, it is biased inthe removal direction by the syringe holder 326 and the syringe holderbiasing spring 327, but as shown in FIG. 25A, the fastening dowel 323 bis guided and supported by the syringe cover fastening groove 325 a.

When the syringe holder 326 is rotated in the removal direction, theremoval direction inclined face 323 e pushes the peaked convex portion326 b and compresses the syringe holder biasing spring 327. The effectof this is that a load is exerted on the rotation of the syringe holder326, and the removal direction inclination angle 323 g is set to a sharpangle, so the syringe holder 326 cannot be slid off unless it is rotatedwith a strong effort (see FIG. 26A).

To create a relation in which the effort to remove the syringe cover 323is greater than the effort to remove the needle 305, in this embodimentthe values of the syringe holder biasing spring 327 and the removaldirection inclination angle of the syringe cover 323 are adjusted withrespect to a limit (namely, effort to remove the needle 305 is 0.1 N·mor less), and it is ensured that the effort to remove the syringe cover323 will be at least 0.13 N·m. Meanwhile, the effort to mount thesyringe cover 323 is about 0.05 N·m, so the syringe cover 323 can bemounted with light effort, but can only be removed with a strong effort.

In other words, the following relation is satisfied.

effort to attach syringe cover≦effort to remove needle≦effort to removesyringe cover

Next, the needle 305 is rotated and attached to the needle mountingportion 323 a at one end of the syringe cover 323, the distal end cap324 is mounted, and the protective cap and needle cap are taken off,which completes the pre-preparation for administering the medicationsolution.

As discussed above, in this embodiment, the medication administeringdevice 320, to which is mounted the preparation syringe 322 containing apreparation and which administers the preparation to a living body,comprises the main body 321, the inner case 325 that forms the main body321, the syringe holder 326 that is installed inside the inner case 325and supports the preparation syringe 322, the syringe holder biasingspring 327 that biases the syringe holder 326, and the syringe cover 323that covers the preparation syringe 322. The syringe cover 323 hasuneven faces of different angles of inclination on its end face, andmounts the preparation syringe to the main body in conjunction with theinner case 325 in a state in which the needle that administers thepreparation can be attached and removed.

Consequently, there is provided a durable medication administeringdevice 320 in which the syringe cover 323 is easy to attach and removeand is securely fixed during mounting.

Embodiment 6

The configuration of the syringe cover 323 and the syringe holder 326constituting a medication administering device pertaining to yet anotherembodiment of the present invention will be described through referenceto FIG. 26B.

In this embodiment, a peaked convex portion 323 h is formed at one endof the syringe cover 323. Also, the syringe holder 326 is given a shapethat has a mounting direction inclined face 326 c and a removaldirection inclined face 326 d which come into contact with the peakedconvex portion 323 h, and when the syringe cover 323 rotates, it can bepushed and slid by the peaked convex portion 323 h. A mounting directioninclination angle 326 e is set to a gentle angle with respect to thepeaked convex portion 323 h, so the syringe holder 326 can be slid bylightly rotating the syringe cover 323. On the other hand, a removaldirection inclination angle 326 f is set to a sharp angle with respectto the peaked convex portion 323 h, and the syringe holder 326 cannot beslid unless the syringe cover 323 is rotated with effort.

Consequently, just as in Embodiment 5 above, there is provided a durablemedication administering device in which the syringe cover 323 is easyto attach and remove and is securely fixed during mounting.

Also, the medication administering device of this embodiment is themedication administering device pertaining to the embodiments givenabove, wherein the syringe cover is a transparent member or asemitransparent member with which the preparation inside the preparationsyringe can be visually checked.

This means that the type of preparation that has been mounted, and theremaining amount of preparation can be checked without having to removethe syringe cover, which makes the device more convenient to use.

The medication administering device of this embodiment is the medicationadministering device pertaining to the embodiments given above, whereina first force required in mounting the syringe cover to the inner caseis set to be different from a second force required in removing thesyringe cover from the inner case.

Consequently, the force required for removal is greater than the forcerequired for mounting, which means that the syringe cover is easy toattach but will not readily come off, which facilitates operation andimproves reliability.

With the medication administering device of the present invention, thereis provided a medication administering device that injects a preparationinto a living body, wherein this medication administering device isdurable and the syringe can be easily attached and removed and can besecurely fixed.

Reference Example 2

A medication administering device with which the puncture needle waselectrically inserted into the living body and then removed afterinjection of the preparation has been put to practical use in the pastas a medication administering device for easily administering apreparation to a living body.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27A, when this medication administeringdevice 1401 is used, the user first docks a syringe 1403 a and a frontcase component 1403 b. In between these two, a slidably constitutedfront component 1403 is mounted to a main body 1402. At this point, afastening groove 1403 f formed at one end of the front case component1403 b allows the attachment and removal of the front case component1403 b and the main body 1402. The members constituted by the syringe1403 a and the members constituted by the main body 1402 are thenlinked, and the syringe 1403 a is able to slide (not shown). A switch(not shown) that detects the attachment and removal of the frontcomponent 1403 is provided to the main body 1402, and is switched on andoff by operation of a front component detecting lever 1403 h.

After this, a needle portion 1405 is rotated and attached to a needlemounting portion 1403 e, and a front cap 1406 is inserted straight intothe front case component 1403 b. The outer shape of the front cap 1406is substantially cylindrical, and a detecting lever pusher 1406 a at oneend thereof slides a front cap detecting lever 1403 g and switches adetection switch (not shown) provided to the main body 1402.

Here, as shown in FIG. 27B, the needle portion 1405 is constituted by aneedle 1405 a, a needle cap 1405 b, and a protective cap 1405 c. Theneedle mounting portion 1403 e is provided at one end of a preparationsyringe 1403 d mounted in a housing 1403 c that constitutes the syringe1403 a (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2005-287676, forexample).

However, with the conventional medication administering device 1401, theuser first aligns the fastening groove 1403 f of the front component1403, which holds the preparation syringe 1403 d, with a tab (not shown)provided to the main body 1402. Then, the needle portion 1405 forinjecting the preparation is attached to the needle mounting portion1403 e, and the front cap 1406 is mounted to the front case 1403 b. Thefront cap 1406 is used both for safety and as the part that comes intocontact with the skin, so it needs to be mounted. After this, theprotective cap 1405 c and the needle cap 1405 b are removed through afront cap opening 1406 b.

After these operations have been performed, when a medicationadministering button 1402 a on the main body 1402 is pressed, thesyringe 1403 a slides, the injection needle 1405 a is exposed by a fewmillimeters from the distal end of the front cap 1406, and the injectionneedle 1405 a is stuck into the skin. In this state, the required amountof medication is injected from the preparation syringe 1403 d, afterwhich the syringe 1403 a slides back to its original position, theneedle 1405 a returns from the front cap 1406, the injection needle isremoved from the skin, and the administration operation is concluded.

The situation in which this series of operations is performed is whenthe front component 1403 has been properly mounted to the main body1402, the detecting switch (not shown) on the main body 1402 has beenswitched on by the detecting lever 1403 h, the front cap 1406 has beenproperly mounted to the front component 1403, and the front capdetecting lever 1403 g has switched on the detecting switch (not shown)provided to the main body 1402.

With the conventional usage method discussed above, as shown in FIG.27A, even if the front component 1403 has not been completely mounted,an error is detected only after the front cap 1406 has been mounted, andthe medication administering button 1402 a on the main body 1402 of themedication administering device 1401 has been operated. To remount thefront component 1403, the front cap 1406 first has to be removed, or thefront component 1403 removed, so the problem is that this takes moretime.

The following embodiment solves the above problem, and it is an objectthereof to provide a medication administering device for injecting apreparation into a living body, wherein even if the mounting of thefront component is incomplete, if the front cap is properly mounted, thefront component will be forcibly mounted, so improper mounting is farless likely to occur, reliability is improved, and the medicationadministering device is easier to operate.

Embodiment 7

A medication administering device 420 pertaining to yet anotherembodiment of the present invention will now be described throughreference to FIGS. 28 to 32.

As shown in FIG. 28, the medication administering device 420 of thisembodiment comprises a main body 421, a preparation syringe 422, asyringe cover 423, a needle portion 405, and a distal end cap 424.

The main body 421 is the main portion of the medication administeringdevice 420, and performs control of the administration operation,displays information, and is operated by an administration start button,and as such has the main functions of medication administration andoperation.

Also, the main body 421 has distal end cap guide grooves 421 a, apositioning mark 421 b, a distal end cap detecting lever 421 c, adisplay component 421 d, a medication administering button 421 e, and asyringe cover detecting lever 421 f. The distal end cap guide grooves421 a guide the distal end cap 424 during attachment and removal. Thepositioning mark 421 b serves as a benchmark that allows the distal endcap 424 to be attached and removed more easily. The distal end capdetecting lever 421 c detects that the distal end cap 424 has beenproperly mounted. The display component 421 d displays the remainingbattery charge and various kinds of information necessary for operation.The medication administering button 421 e is pressed when medication isadministered after the completion of preparation for the administrationof medication. The syringe cover detecting lever 421 f detects that thesyringe cover 423 has been mounted.

The main body 421 further has a syringe holder 426 that allows theinsertion of the preparation syringe 422 containing a preparation, andan inner case 425 that can slide together with the syringe holder 426during medication administration. The inner case 425 has the preparationsyringe 422 built into it and has syringe cover fastening grooves 425 athat allow the attachment and removal of the syringe cover 423 mountedto the main body 421 of the medication administering device 420.

The syringe cover 423 is made from a transparent member, so the built-inpreparation syringe 422 can be checked. Also, the syringe cover 423 hasat one end a needle mounting portion 423 a that allows the attachmentand removal of the needle portion 405, and has fastening dowels 423 band cover detecting lever pressing portions 423 c that engage with thesyringe cover fastening grooves 425 a provided to the inner case 425. Asshown in FIGS. 29A and 29B, the syringe cover 423 has a flange 423 dthat prevents the preparation or other such liquid from finding its wayinto the interior of the main body, and convex portions 423 e having ashape that sticks out radially from the center.

The needle portion 405 is the portion of the injection needle thatpierces the living body and administers the preparation syringe 422. Itsconfiguration is the same as that described for the conventionalexample, and will therefore not be described again here.

The distal end cap 424 has a distal end opening 424 a through which theneedle is exposed and pierces the living body so that a medicationsolution can be injected, a mounting start positioning mark 424 b thatserves as a benchmark in attaching and removing the main body 421, and amounting end positioning mark 424 c. As shown in FIGS. 31A and 31 b,there are also distal end cap guide tabs 424 d for attachment andremoval utilizing the distal end cap guide grooves 421 a of the mainbody 421, and engagement protrusions 424 e that engage with the convexportions 423 e that stick out radially from the syringe cover 423.

Also, a situation was described here in which two each of the fasteningdowels 423 b, the convex portions 423 e, the distal end cap guide tabs424 d, and the engagement protrusions 424 e were provided, but thepresent invention is not limited to this, and there may instead be oneof each of these, or three or more of each.

<Operation of the Medication Administering Device 420>

The medication administering device 420 pertaining to an embodiment ofthe present invention will now be described through reference to FIGS.28 to 32.

First, the preparation syringe 422 is inserted into the syringe holder426 provided on the main body 421 side of the medication administeringdevice 420, and the syringe cover 423 is mounted. At this point thefastening dowels 423 b are aligned with the syringe cover fasteninggrooves 425 a provided to the inner case 425, and inserted straight in,after which the components are rotated and fixed. When the syringe cover423 has been properly mounted, the cover detecting lever pressingportions 423 c press on the syringe cover detecting lever 421 f, whichturns on a switch (not shown) on the main body 421. However, if thesyringe cover 423 is not in the right position, the switch will remainoff as the next operation is performed.

Then, the needle portion 405 is rotated and attached to the needlemounting portion 423 a at one end of the syringe cover 423, and thedistal end cap 424 is mounted. After straight-ahead insertion so thatthe mounting start positioning mark 424 b and the positioning mark 421 bon the main body 421 line up, the component is rotated clockwise up tothe mounting end positioning mark 424 c. At this point the distal endcap guide tabs 424 d are guided by and fixed in the distal end cap guidegrooves 421 a of the main body 421. If the distal end cap 424 has beenproperly mounted, then a cap detecting lever pressing portion 424 fpresses on the distal end cap detecting lever 421 c, and a switch (notshown) on the main body 421 is turned on. As shown in FIGS. 32A and 32B,even if the syringe cover 423 is not completely mounted at this point,the engagement protrusions 424 e will engage with the convex portions423 e that stick out radially, allowing integral rotation, and thesyringe cover 423 is mounted.

After this, the user grasps the protective cap of the needle portion 405and removes it through the distal end opening 424 a, and then grasps andremoves the needle cap of the needle portion 405.

FIG. 32A shows a state in which the syringe cover 423 has not beencompletely mounted, while FIG. 32B shows a state in which the syringecover 423 has been completely mounted. Both FIGS. 32A and 32B are viewsin the preparation syringe 422 direction from the distal end opening 424a side. The above procedure completes the pre-preparation foradministering a medication solution.

As discussed above, with this embodiment, the medication administeringdevice 420 to which the preparation syringe 422 containing a preparationis mounted and which is able to administer to a living body or the likecomprises the cylindrical syringe cover 423 that supports thepreparation syringe 422, the inner case 425 that guides and removablyfits together with the syringe cover 423, and the distal end cap 424that guides and removably fits together with the main body 421. Theconvex portions 423 e that stick out radially and are provided to thesyringe cover 423 engage with the engagement protrusions 424 e providedto the distal end cap 424, and the syringe cover 423 can also be rotatedby rotation of the distal end cap 424.

Consequently, even if the syringe cover 423 is not completely mounted,as long as the distal end cap 424 is properly mounted, the syringe cover423 will be forcibly mounted. Thus, a medication administering devicecan be provided with which there is far less improper mounting,reliability is improved, and the device is easier to use.

Also, with the medication administering device of this embodiment, thepreparation syringe is supported on the inner peripheral face side ofthe syringe cover, the inner case guides the outer peripheral face sideof the syringe cover, and the distal end cap guides part of the outerperipheral face of the main body.

With the medication administering device of this embodiment, the syringecover supporting the preparation syringe is pushed in while beingrotated with respect to the inner case, and the mounting of the syringecover is complete at the point when the inner case reaches the lockedposition.

With the medication administering device of this embodiment, the mainbody has guide grooves and indicators that show the mounting position.The distal end cap has an indicator showing the mounting start positionand an indicator showing the mounting end position, and is provided withguide tabs. The indicator showing the mounting position of the mainbody, and the indicator showing the mounting start position of thedistal end cap are aligned and the distal end cap is pushed in, and theguide grooves and the guide tabs are aligned, after which the componentsare pushed in while being rotated, which mounts the distal end cap onthe main body.

With the medication administering device of this embodiment, the syringecover is formed from a transparent or semi-transparent member so thatthe preparation syringe inside can be checked visually, and has a flangethat prevents liquid from coming in from the outside.

With the medication administering device of this embodiment, the syringecover has a plurality of fastening dowels disposed at regular intervalsor at symmetrical positions around the center axis of the syringe cover.

With the medication administering device of this embodiment, the syringecover has a plurality of convex portions disposed at regular intervalsor at symmetrical positions around the center axis of the syringe cover.

With the medication administering device of this embodiment, thepositional relation between the convex portions and the fastening dowelsof the syringe cover is that they are disposed at the same angularpositions, or at positions other than the same angles, around the centeraxis of the syringe cover.

With the medication administering device of the present invention, sincethe distal end cap is mounted to the main body, when it is pushed inwhile being rotated, the engagement protrusions provided to the distalend cap press on the convex portions provided to the syringe coverlocated on the inside. Consequently, simultaneously with the conclusionof the mounting of the distal end cap to the main body, the syringecover is also pushed and rotated by the engagement protrusions and itsmounting to the inner case is concluded.

With the medication administering device of the present invention, evenif the mounting of the front portion (the syringe cover, etc.) isincomplete, as long as the distal end cap is mounted properly, the frontportion will be forcibly mounted, so a medication administering devicecan be provided with which improper mounting is far less likely tooccur, reliability is improved, and the device is easier to operate.

Reference Example 3

A medication administering device with which the puncture needle wasinserted electrically into a living body and then removed after theinjection of the preparation has been put to practical use in the pastas a medication administering device for easily administering apreparation to a living body.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 33A, when a medication administeringdevice 1501 such as this is used, the user first docks a syringe 1503 aand a front case component 1503 b. In between these two, a slidablyconstituted front component 1503 is mounted to a main body 1502. At thispoint, a fastening groove 1503 f formed at one end of the front casecomponent 1503 b allows the attachment and removal of the front casecomponent 1503 b and the main body 1502. The members constituted by thesyringe 1503 a and the members constituted by the main body 1502 arethen linked, and the syringe 1503 a is able to slide (not shown).

After this, a needle portion 1505 is rotated and attached to a needlemounting portion 1503 e, and a front cap 1506 is inserted straight intothe front case component 1503 b. The outer shape of the front cap 1506is substantially cylindrical, and a front cap opening 1506 a formed atthe distal end thereof is also substantially cylindrical.

Here, the needle portion 1505 has a needle 1505 a, a needle cap 1505 b,and a protective cap 1505 c. The needle mounting portion 1503 e isprovided at one end of a preparation syringe 1503 d mounted in a housing1503 c that constitutes the syringe 1503 a (see Japanese Laid-OpenPatent Application 2005-287676, for example).

However, with the conventional medication administering device 1501, theuser first aligns the fastening groove 1503 f of the front component1503, which holds the preparation syringe 1503 d, with a tab (not shown)provided to the main body 1502. Then, the needle portion 1505 forinjecting the preparation is attached to the needle mounting portion1503 e, and the front cap 1506 is mounted to the front case 1503 b.After this, the protective cap 1505 c and the needle cap 1505 b areremoved through a front cap opening 1506 a.

After these operations have been performed, when a medicationadministering button 1502 a on the main body 1502 is pressed, thesyringe 1503 a slides, and the injection needle 1505 a is exposed by afew millimeters from the distal end of the front cap 1506. After therequired amount of preparation has been injected, the syringe 1503 aslides back to its original position, the needle 1505 a returns from thedistal end of the front cap 1506, and the series of preparationadministration operations is concluded.

With the conventional usage method discussed above, as shown in FIG.33B, a problem was that it was difficult for the user to remove theneedle cap 1505 b and the protective cap 1505 c of the needle portion1505 mounted to the medication administering device 1501.

This prevents the needle portion 1505 having the needle 1505 a frombeing safely exposed to the outside, so the position of the needle 1505a always has to be on the inside of the front cap 1506 and other suchmembers, and there is no practical way to lengthen the protective cap1505 c of the needle 1505 a and other such components. Also, althoughoperation can be facilitated by making the opening in the front cap 1506larger, the front cap 1506 also serves to come into contact with theskin and keep the puncture distance constant. Accordingly, if thisopening is made larger, then how much the skin rises up will varygreatly depending on how the front cap 1506 is placed against the skin.As a result, there is variance in the puncture distance, which can causemore discomfort during puncture, so the opening of the front cap 1506cannot actually be made any larger.

Also, when the front component 1503 or the needle portion 1505 ismounted, a problem has been that the front cap 1506 tends to roll whenit is removed from the medication administering device 1501.

The following embodiment solves the above problems, and it is an objectthereof to provide a medication administering device that injects apreparation into a living body, wherein the protective cap of the needleand the needle cap are easy to take off, the front cap does not readilyroll by itself, and the device is easier to handle.

Embodiment 8

A medication administering device 520 pertaining to yet anotherembodiment of the present invention will now be described throughreference to FIGS. 34 to 37.

As shown in FIG. 34, the medication administering device 520 of thisembodiment is constituted by a main body 521, a preparation syringe 522,a syringe cover 523, a needle portion 505, and a distal end cap 524.

The main body 521 has distal end cap guide grooves 521 a, a positioningmark 521 b, a distal end cap detecting lever 521 c, a display component521 d, and a medication administering button 521 e. The distal end capguide grooves 521 a guide the distal end cap 524 during attachment andremoval. The positioning mark 521 b serves as a benchmark that allowsthe distal end cap 524 to be attached and removed more easily. Thedistal end cap detecting lever 521 c detects that the distal end cap 524has been properly mounted. The display component 521 d displays theremaining battery charge and various kinds of information necessary foroperation. The medication administering button 521 e is pressed whenmedication is administered after the completion of preparation for theadministration of medication.

The main body 521 further has an inner case 525 that can slide duringmedication administration and that allows the insertion of thepreparation syringe 522 into which the medication has been sealed. Theinner case 525 has the preparation syringe 522 built into it and hassyringe cover fastening grooves 525 a that allow the attachment andremoval of the syringe cover 523 mounted to the main body 521 of themedication administering device 520.

The syringe cover 523 is made from a transparent member, so the built-inpreparation syringe 522 can be checked. Also, the syringe cover 523 hasat one end a needle mounting portion 523 a that allows the attachmentand removal of the needle portion 505. The syringe cover 523 further hasfastening dowels 523 b that engage with the syringe cover fasteninggrooves 525 a provided to the inner case 525.

The needle portion 505 is constituted the same as in the conventionalexample, and so will not be described here.

The distal end cap 524 has a substantially cylindrical shape with anopening at both ends. The inner peripheral face thereof is structured soas to allow movement of the syringe cover to which are mounted thepreparation syringe 522 and a needle 505 a used for injection. Also, thedistal end cap is the portion that comes into contact with the skin (theliving body) during injection of the preparation, and also has thefunction of maintaining a constant distance between the needle 505 a andthe skin, and thereby maintaining a constant injection depth. Thisreduces pain during injection.

The distal end cap 524 has a distal end opening 524 a through which theneedle 505 a protrudes and pierces the skin so that a medicationsolution can be injected, a mounting start positioning mark 524 b thatserves as a benchmark in attaching and removing the main body 521, and amounting end positioning mark 524 c. As shown in FIG. 35A, the distalend opening 524 a has a shape that combines a substantially circularshape 524 k and a slot shape 524 j, with the longitudinal width 524 hbeing different from the lateral width 524 g. This results in a placewhere the protective cap and the needle cap 505 b are easy to grasp,which reduces the effort on the part of the user when these are removed.Furthermore, this prevents the skin from rising up too much, andprevents the attendant increase in discomfort caused by piercing. Onepossibility is a shape in which the diameter of the circular shape isabout 20 mm, and the longer portion is about 25 mm, but there are otherpossibilities as well.

The shape of the distal end opening 524 a may also be a simpleelliptical shape, or a combination of a circular shape and an ellipticalshape. However, in terms of ease of work and reliability, it is best forthe inner face shape to have undulating curves at a plurality of places,as shown in FIG. 35A.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 35B, whether or not the preparationsyringe 522 is inside, what type it is, the amount of preparation, andso forth can be checked visually through the transparent syringe cover523, without having to remove the 524 from the medication administeringdevice 520, because of a preparation check window 524 d. The checkwindow 524 d is provided here, but the window 524 d portion may insteadbe cut out or formed from a transparent member, or the entire distal endcap 524 may be formed from a transparent or semi-transparent member.

The cross sectional shape of the distal end cap 524 is a shape that issubstantially close to being triangular, which is a stable shape that isresistant to rolling when the cap is placed on a table or the like byitself. The cross sectional shape is not limited to being triangular,however, and may instead be elliptical or polyhedral.

FIG. 36 is a cross section showing how the needle cap 505 b of theneedle portion 505 inside the distal end cap 524 is taken out.

As shown in FIG. 36, the inner portion of the distal end opening 524 aof the distal end cap 524 has a taper shape 524 e. The needle cap 505 bis grasped by fingers 527 from the slot shape 524 j side (see FIG. 35A)of the distal end opening 524 a, and when the fingers 527 are rotated,the needle cap 505 b is lifted in the removal direction, which meansthat the operation is easy. That is, just by turning the fingers 527grasping the needle cap 505 b, the fingers 527 are pushed by the outerpart of the distal end cap 524 along the internal shape of the distalend opening 524 a. Accordingly, the operation of pulling out the needlecap 505 b is also performed, and the needle cap 505 b can be removedwith ease. This is extremely effective in practical terms.

In particular, when handling a sharp object such as the needle 505 a andthe portion around it, the ease of operation of the present invention,in which no extra force is necessary, is extremely effective from thestandpoint of safety.

FIG. 37 is an oblique view of the outside of the distal end cap 524 asseen from the opposite side from the distal end opening 524 a. Guidetabs 524 f engage with the distal end cap guide grooves 521 a providedto the main body 521 of the medication administering device 520, and areused in the operation of mounting and removing the distal end cap 524 toand from the medication administering device 520.

<Method for Operating the Medication Administering Device 520>

The operation of the medication administering device 520 in thisembodiment will now be described through reference to FIGS. 34 to 37.

First, the preparation syringe 522 is inserted into the inner case 525provided to the main body 521 of the medication administering device520, and the syringe cover 523 is mounted. At this point the fasteningdowel 523 b of the syringe cover 523 is aligned with the syringe coverfastening groove 525 a provided to the inner case 525, and the syringecover 523 is inserted straight in and then rotated and fixed.

Next, the needle portion 505 is rotated and attached to the needlemounting portion 523 a at one end of the syringe cover 523, after whichthe distal end cap 524 is mounted. After straight-ahead insertion sothat the mounting start positioning mark 524 b and the positioning mark521 b on the main body 521 line up, the component is rotated clockwiseup to the mounting end positioning mark 524 c. At this point the guidetabs 524 f are guided by and fixed in the distal end cap guide grooves521 a.

After this, the user grasps the protective cap 505 c and removes itthrough the distal end opening 524 a, and then grasps and removes theneedle cap 505 b from the needle portion 505. At this point the fingers527 are inserted through the slot shape 524 j portion in a direction inwhich it is easy for the fingers 527 to fit, and the fingers 527 areeither pulled straight out or rotated. Consequently, the fingers 527move to the circular shape 524 k portion with a smaller radius, and theneedle cap 505 b is pulled off along the taper shape 524 e.

The above procedure completes the pre-preparation for administering amedication solution.

As discussed above, with this embodiment, the medication administeringdevice 520 to which the preparation syringe 522 containing a preparationis mounted and which is able to administer to a living body or the likecomprises the syringe cover 523 to and from which the needle 505 a thatadministers the preparation can be attached and removed, and with whichthe preparation syringe 522 is mounted to the main body 521, and thedistal end cap 524 that covers the syringe cover 523, removably fitstogether with the main body 521, and has the distal end opening 524 athat comes into contact with the living body. The distal end opening 524a of the distal end cap 524 has a shape that combines a portion wherefingers can easily fit and a portion that prevents the flesh from risingup when the cap is pressed against the skin, and also has a shape thatresists rolling when the cap is set down by itself.

Consequently, the operation of removing the needle cap 505 b and theprotective cap 505 c of the needle 505 a constituting the needle portion505 is easier, and a medication administering device can be providedthat is safe and easy to handle.

Embodiment 9

The configuration of a distal end cap 624 used in the medicationadministering device pertaining to this embodiment will be describedthrough reference to FIG. 38.

In FIG. 38, the shape of the distal end opening 624 a of the distal endcap 624 is changed in the height direction, and the distal end portionhas a scooped out shape that makes it easier for fingers to fit in. Thedepth of the scooped out portion is from 5 to 15 mm, and a diameter ofabout 20 mm is aimed at for the opening, but the present invention isnot limited to these values.

Up until the mounting of the distal end cap 624, everything is the sameas described in Embodiment 8 above, and will not be described again.

Upon completion of the mounting of the distal end cap 624, theprotective cap 505 c of the needle portion 505 is grasped and removedthrough the distal end opening 624 a. Then, when the needle cap 505 b isgrasped and removed from the needle portion 505, if the fingers areinserted and rotated from the places with the scooped out shape in thedistal end opening 624 a, the needle cap 505 b will move in the distalend direction and can be simply removed.

Embodiment 10

The configuration of the distal end cap 724 used in the medicationadministering device pertaining to this embodiment will be describedthrough reference to FIG. 39.

FIG. 39 shows a configuration in which the distal end component has adual structure in which a rotatable separate piece 724 a is provided atthe distal end of the distal end cap 724, and the phases are differentbetween the two kinds of members in which the shape of the distal endopening 724 aa is changed in the height direction. The fixed-side piece724 b and the separate piece 724 a of the distal end cap 724 havethree-dimensionally similar shapes.

Upon completion of the mounting of the distal end cap 724, theprotective cap 505 c (see FIG. 36) is grasped and removed through thedistal end opening 724 aa. Then, when the needle cap 505 b (see FIG. 36)is grasped and removed from the needle portion 505 (see FIG. 36), therotatable separate piece 724 a is rotated so that it matches the scoopedout shape of the distal end opening 724 ba of the fixed-side piece 724b. This creates a place where the fingers easily fit in, and allows theprotective cap 505 c and the needle cap 505 b to be simply removed.

Next, the rotatable separate piece 724 a is rotated so that it does notmatch the scooped out shape of the fixed-side piece 724 b, constitutinga flat face. After this, if a medication solution is to be administeredwith the medication administering device, the skin is suitably kept fromrising up, which prevents any increase in discomfort upon puncture.

Embodiment 11

The configuration of the distal end cap 824 used in the medicationadministering device pertaining to this embodiment will be describedthrough reference to FIG. 40.

FIG. 40 shows a configuration in which an opening and closing separatepiece 824 b is provided to the distal end of the distal end cap 824. Theposition of the distal end cap 824 is usually limited by a spring and astopper, which are held at the same diameter as the external shape ofthe distal end cap 824, and only widen outward when fingers areinserted.

Upon completion of the mounting of the distal end cap 824, theprotective cap 505 c (see FIG. 36) is grasped and removed through thedistal end opening 824 a. Then, when the needle cap 505 b (see FIG. 36)is grasped and removed from the needle portion 505 (see FIG. 36), thefingers are worked from the place where the opening and closing separatepiece is provided.

This allows the separate piece 824 b to be opened and simply removed.Also, if the fingers are moved away, the opening and closing separatepiece 824 b goes back to the stopper position on its own under thebiasing of the elastic body. Since the medication solution isadministered by the medication administering device in this state, theskin is suitably kept from rising up, which prevents any increase indiscomfort upon puncture.

Also, the medication administering device of this embodiment is themedication administering device pertaining the embodiments given above,wherein, when the distal end cap is mounted to the main body, the distalend of the needle mounted to the syringe cover is short enough not to beexposed to the outside from the distal end cap.

Consequently, even after the mounting of the needle, the needle iscovered by the distal end cap, there is no danger such as accidentalneedle puncture since the needle does not stick out, so operation issafer.

The medication administering device of this embodiment is the medicationadministering device pertaining the embodiments given above, wherein thedistal end cap has a portion that comes into contact with the livingbody, so it is molded from a plastic material that is gentle on theliving body.

This makes the device safer and more pleasant to use.

With the medication administering device of the present invention, amedication administering device can be provided with which theprotective cap of the needle and the needle cap are easy to take off,the distal end cap does not readily roll by itself, and the device iseasier to handle.

The medication administering device pertaining to the present inventionhas the effect of allowing a syringe cover to be securely and easilyplaced in the device, so it is particularly useful as a medicationadministering device used for self-injection by seniors, children, andhandicapped users, or for injection to a patient by a family member,etc.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A medication administering device, to whicha preparation syringe containing a preparation is mounted, and whichadministers a preparation to a living body, said device comprising: amain body; a cylindrical syringe holder that is provided to the mainbody and into which the preparation syringe is inserted from the rearend side; a cylindrical syringe cover that supports the preparationsyringe on the inner peripheral face side, and into which thepreparation syringe is inserted from the distal end side; an inner casethat guides the syringe cover and is removably fitted together with thesyringe cover; and a distal end cap that guides the main body and isremovably fitted together with the main body, wherein the distal end capmoves in conjunction with the syringe cover when it is attached to themain body, wherein the distal end cap has a distal end opening throughwhich the needle is exposed to pierce the living body so that amedication solution can be injected, wherein the syringe cover has aneedle mounting portion configured to mount a puncture needle to thedistal end portion of the syringe cover, a fastening dowel that can beattached to and removed from the inner case, and a convex portion thatprotrudes radially from the center axis of the syringe cover, andwherein the distal end cap has a guide tab used for attachment andremoval and for positioning with the main body, and an engagementprotrusion that engages with the convex portion that protrudes radiallyfrom the center axis of the syringe cover.
 2. The medicationadministering device according to claim 1, wherein the syringe cover isattached to and removed from the inner case while rotating, and thedistal end cap is attached to and removed from the main body whilerotating.
 3. The medication administering device according to claim 2,wherein the rotation direction of the syringe cover is the same as therotation direction of the distal end cap.
 4. The medicationadministering device according to claim 1, wherein the syringe cover issimultaneously mounted to the inner case by mounting the distal end capto the main body.
 5. The medication administering device according toclaim 1, wherein the syringe cover, with which a needle foradministering the preparation can be removably attached to the distalend portion, and surrounds the preparation syringe, and which hasinclined faces of different angles of inclination on its end face, andwhich mounts the preparation syringe to the main body in conjunctionwith syringe holder and/or the inner case.
 6. The medicationadministering device according to claim 5, wherein the inclined faces ofthe syringe cover come into contact with part of the syringe holder, andthe angles of inclination vary with the direction in which the syringecover is rotated.
 7. The medication administering device according toclaim 6, wherein the angles of inclination are such that the inclinationangle in the rotating direction when the syringe cover is mounted isless than the inclination angle in the rotation direction when thesyringe cover is removed.
 8. The medication administering deviceaccording to claim 5, further comprising: a spring that biases thesyringe holder in one direction; and wherein the syringe cover has aguide that engages with the inner case, the inner case has a guidegroove corresponding to the guide, and when the syringe cover ismounted, the syringe cover and the inner case are fixed each other byengagement of the guide and the guide groove against the biasing forceof the spring.
 9. The medication administering device according to claim5, wherein the syringe cover has ribs at the portion gripped by thefingers, and the ribs have an anti-slip function when the syringe coveris attached or removed.
 10. The medication administering deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the rotation direction when the syringecover is mounted to the inner case is the same as the rotation directionwhen the needle used to administer the preparation is mounted to thedistal end of the syringe cover.
 11. The medication administering deviceaccording to claim 10, wherein the rotation direction when the syringecover is removed from the inner case is the same as the rotationdirection when the needle is removed from the distal end of the syringecover, and the force required to remove the syringe cover from the innercase is greater than the force required to remove the needle from thesyringe cover.
 12. The medication administering device according toclaim 10, wherein the supporting force of the inner case when thesyringe cover is mounted is greater than the supporting force of thesyringe cover when the needle is mounted.